Howard Wolpe

Howard Wolpe is the Director, Africa Program and Director, Project on Leadership and Building State Capacity at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars

"Dr. Howard Wolpe, a former seven-term Member of Congress and former Presidential Special Envoy to Africa’s Great Lakes Region, is currently Director of the Africa Program and the Project on Leadership and Building State Capacity at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars.

"A specialist in African politics, for 10 of his 14 years in the Congress Dr. Wolpe chaired the Subcommittee on Africa of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, where he was instrumental in effecting many changes in U.S. policy on Africa, including the ending of military assistance to Gen. Mobutu in Zaire (Congo) and enabling the passage of the Comprehensive Anti-Apartheid Act of 1986. He also chaired the Investigations and Oversight Subcommittee of the House Science, Space and Technology Committee. His other roles in the Congress included the co-chairmanship of the bipartisan Northeast-Midwest Congressional Coalition and the Congressional Energy and Environmental Study Conference.

"Prior to entering the Congress, Dr. Wolpe served in the Michigan House of Representatives and as a member of the Kalamazoo City Commission.

"Dr. Wolpe has taught at Western Michigan University (Political Science Department), Michigan State University, the University of Michigan (Institute of Public Policy Studies), and has served as a Visiting Fellow in the Foreign Policy Studies Program of the Brookings Institution and as a Woodrow Wilson Center Public Policy Scholar.

"Dr. Wolpe received his B.A. degree from Reed College, and his Ph.D. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

"Dr. Wolpe is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and a member of the Board of Directors of the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) and of Africare. He co-directed (with Ambassador David C. Miller, Jr.) the Ninetieth American Assembly on “Africa and U.S. National Interests” held in March 1997. He has written extensively on Africa, American foreign policy, and the management of ethnic and racial conflict.

"Currently, Dr. Wolpe is working on a book based on his diplomatic experience with the Burundi peace process and is directing several post-conflict leadership training programs in Africa.

Honors: African-American Institute’s Star Crystal Award for Excellence, The Michigan Audubon Society’s Legislator of the Year Award, and the Sierra Club’s Lifetime Achievement Award.“


 * Advisory Board, Coexistence International
 * Advisory Committee, Jewish Fund for Justice
 * Endorser, Genocide Intervention Network

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